PAve, Sioux Falls’ latest hot spot

August 18, 2016

Alanna EggersDesigner

It was inspiring to celebrate the culmination of a great deal of planning, risk taking, decision making and discipline by a very talented group of people at PAve’s soft opening VIP party last night. I’m excited for the PAve bar owners, development team and crew. You were all incredible to work with.

As the designer on the project, I’ve seen the space plenty of times. Last night was special, though. Seeing the crowds of people entering PAve, mingling at the bar or seated at the bar-height tables checking out the view from the second-story windows overlooking Phillips Avenue was amazing. I was taken for a moment at how professionally satisfying it was for me to see the space being enjoyed by PAve guests. People are at the heart of good design. Yes, color, texture, lighting, materials—they all matter, but the best design fundamental is respect for the people who will use the space.

The collaboration on this project was terrific. The owners had a cool vision for a modern industrial aesthetic and they were willing to make the investment so the design spoke to the language of each floor. For example, the owners wanted to make the second bar its own distinct venue. It turned out incredibly well. The long brick wall is anchored by an incredible mural depicting some of the greatest, iconic musicians: Prince, David Bowie, Michael Jackson, James Brown, etc. It was designed by talented, local artists, and it’s balanced by a wall of record labels from the last 30 years.

There are several notes to historic details and the original brick. We were able to use strong, traditional colors to complement the space, and some of the more interesting design elements call out the important rail history of Sioux Falls.

I could go on. The best is for you to see it for yourself, which you can do when PAve opens officially on Friday night.

Working on this hospitality project was personally refreshing, and the more I thought about it, this is what I decided:

In a sense, isn’t everybody in the hospitality business? Whether it‘s welcoming customers who walk in the door and providing the right environment in which to do business or serving employees with a meaningful and motivating work environment; design matters. I’m thankful to have a career that’s about serving people in the spaces in which they spend so much of their time.

And on the evenings and weekends, I encourage you to enjoy some of your time at PAve. So many great people helped to conceive or were involved with this project. I’m so thankful to have been a part of it. Way to go everyone! PAve opens Friday August 19th.